PROPERTY NEWS

Sierra Leone like most of the world is experiencing a change in its climate resulting in extreme weather events such as storms, floods and droughts with adverse impacts on the socio-economic fabric of the country.

These changing weather patterns have led to loss of lives and property, increase in occurrence of water-borne diseases such as malaria, cholera and typhoid, shoreline erosion in our coastal areas, and disruption of agricultural activities. These pose serious stability and security threats.

Sierra Leone after ratifying the UNFCCC in 1995 and the Kyoto Protocol in 2005 have taken steps to meet its global responsibility by formulating policies and programmes that addresses the challenges of climate change.

In 2006, Sierra Leone completed its Initial National Communication (INC), and in 2008 developed the National Adaptation Programme of Actions (NAPA). These reports identified the country’s main sources of greenhouse gas emissions, major socio-economic sectors and ecosystems that are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, and the priority activities and adaptation options to cope with climate change impacts. The Second National Communications (SNC) is on-going and this will improve the country’s prioritisation of adequate and feasible adaptation and mitigation climate change actions.

The country established the Sierra Leone Environmental Protection Agency (SLEPA) in July 2008, and will shortly transform the Meteorological Department to an Agency so as to effectively respond to early warning signals and provide timely weather information to all sectors.

Within its overall development strategy "Agenda for Change," the country has formulated sector policies and undertaking activities as part of a broad climate protection strategy. An Energy Policy along with a comprehensive strategic plan geared towards the exploitation of the country’s vast renewable resources has been developed and is being implemented. Presently, over 60 percent of electricity produced in the country is from renewable energy and plans are well ahead to increase this share.

In the Agricultural and Forestry sector, in addition to conservation of our major ecosystems such as the Gola Forest, Outamba-Kilimi National Park, Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Area Peninsula Forest & Watershed Management and Loma Forest Reserve, Inland Valley Swamps are being developed along with irrigation and drainage systems for sustainable agricultural production.

Sierra Leone through its relevant ministries is putting modalities into place to fully exploit the Carbon Trading and Payments for Ecosystems Services (PES). This will involve the formulation of relevant policy guidelines and institutional framework for a ‘Quick Start’ implementation of REDD, REDD+ and non-REDD Carbon projects. Plans are on the way for the establishment of management and regulatory structures for all climate change related issues.

To confront and respond with frequent increasing extreme weather events, the country has established a Disaster Management Department within the Office of the President. This Department has setup Disaster Management Committees and prepared key policy documents for Disaster Preparedness and Response measures at the provincial and district levels.

Sierra Leone like many poor African countries have voluntarily prohibited mining of large deposits of exploitable reserves of mineral deposits including iron ore that are in the Gola forests as a sacrifice for global benefits by preserving carbon sinks. These actions by relatively poor countries with no legally binding agreements should not only be recognised but must be adequately compensated.

In summary, the government fully consults its civil society including non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in undertaking climate change related actions. Using its own resources and with assistance by development partners the government is expanding the use of renewable and cleaner energy sources and technologies, accelerating energy efficiency programs, improving forest management and expanding forest areas, adapting sustainable agricultural practices and developing emergency and disaster preparedness programmes.

It is against this background that Sierra Leone fully supports the African position for COP 15/MOP 5 and specifically aligns itself with the following:

1. Support for REDD and REDD Plus programmes; and, the inclusion of Agriculture and Agricultural Carbon in the Convention as an option for the implementation of adaptation and mitigation programmes;
2. Keeping global warming below 2 degree Celsius as above 1.5 degree Celsius calls for adaptation measures to irreversible changes;
3. Revisiting the CDM in the Kyoto Protocol to make it more responsive to those it was intended for;
4. Adequate and timely additional funding for adaptation and mitigation programmes; and, finally;
5. A legally binding agreement on deep cuts in GHG at both the medium and long terms along with measures that ensure full compliance.